Words by Smiley Team
Gone are the days of cars smelling of chip shops, as we transition from biofuels to electric vehicles. Just as public transport opts for greener alternatives, the private sector is too.
Entering 2021, BMW boasts an impressive array of awards collected throughout the year for its innovation in this area, their models winning no less than thirteen competitions across the world.
As they count their trophies, the company’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, made further efforts to increase electric car production, announcing that they would produce even more electric cars by 2023.
The luxury car manufacturer received particular recognition in the UK, China and Germany.
Trumping its competitors for fuel consumption and carbon emissions, the purely electric BMW iX3 claimed its first awards in China, where BMW has manufactured the vehicle at it’s Shenyang base for just a few months now.
Four Chinese publications rated this innovative model, as the one to watch compared to other electric vehicles on sale in the country.
In Britain, the magazine What Car? named their 330e Sedan ‘Best Executive Car’, ‘Best Plug-in-Hybrid’, and gave it the ‘Electric Car Award’. The plug-in hybrid also earned the ‘Best Company Car’ prize from both Autocar and Parkers magazine.
Another of the favourites from their range is the 530e Sedan, which consumes from 1.9 to 1.7 litres of fuel per 100 km and emits between 43 and 39 grams of carbon per km. This is under half the emissions of a regular car, according to the UK government’s estimates from 2015.
On their website, Carbuyer stated: “The 530e could well be the pick of the range for business and private buyers alike - and we named it our Best Large Company Car for 2021.”
But there is much further to go and the company’s leadership is showing positive signs that they acknowledge this. The manufacturer’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, announced that BMW will ensure every fifth car it sells is powered by an electric engine by 2023, compared to roughly 8% in 2020.
He said: "We are significantly increasing the number of electric vehicles. Between 2021 and 2023, we will build a quarter of a million more electric cars than originally planned."
By buying an electric vehicle, motorists can reduce both their emissions and their expenses. If sourced from renewable energies, electricity significantly shrinks your carbon footprint. But it won’t empty your wallet as much as petrol does, because recharging at an electric vehicle station also ends up cheaper.
